Celebrating women in birding

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To celebrate, I’m honouring some of the most illustrious women birders. Please comment below if you have other remarkable women birders to add to the list!

Phoebe Snetsinger

Phoebe Snetsinger comes to mind immediately, she was the first person to acquire a life list with more than 8,000 birds. Snetsinger’s story is documented in her autobiography, Birding on Borrowed Time, whose title refers to an incurable cancer diagnosis in 1981, to which she responded by deciding to spend her remaining days seeing as many bird species as possible. In the end, she exceeded her death sentence by 18 years. Not only did she see more birds than any other human, but her field notes and copious subspecies notes became an important contribution to ornithology.

Olivia Gentile’s illuminating biography Life List offers a more human glimpse into Snetsinger’s life and reveals a woman whose life was dominated by fierce obsession, but also, more tragically, a woman who was born in the 1950s and relegated to the life of a housewife and mother that didn’t suit her. I’ve always felt particular affection for Phoebe Snetsinger: we were both one-time residents of Missouri and both discovered birding at the age of 34. Her spark bird was the blackburnian warbler, whereas mine was much more common (and easier to spot!) red-winged blackbird.

Mabel Osgood Wright

Another astonishing woman birder is Mabel Osgood Wright, founder of the Connecticut Audubon Society in 1896 and the Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary in Fairfield, CT. A prolific nature writer, she named the sanctuary after her field guide, Birdcraft, which was first published in 1895. I received a 1936 edition of this field guide as a gift on International Women’s Day.

Mabel Osgood Wright

Osgood Wright’s introduction to Birdcraft offers wise and absolutely pertinent advice to the beginner birder: “If you wish to go on in this pleasant quest, you must take with you three things; a keen eye, a quick ear, and loving patience. The vision may be supplemented by a good field-glass, and the ear quickened by training, but there is no substitute for intelligent patience.” Hear, hear, Ms. Osgood Wright!

Genevieve ‘Gennie’ Jones

Another remarkable woman who made significant contributions to ornithology is Genevieve “Gennie” Jones (1847-79). Awestruck by Audubon’s Birds of America watercolour drawings, she realized that what was missing from his project were detailed drawings of nests of American birds. Jones decided to draw what she envisioned as a companion piece to Audubon’s Birds of America: a book that documented birds’ nests and eggs.

Tragically, Jones only managed to complete five illustrations before dying of typhoid fever at the age of 32, but her family continued working on the project as a way of honouring her memory. In 1886, seven years after Jones’ death, they published nests of nearly 130 species in Illustrations of the Nests and Eggs of Birds of Ohio. Joy Kiser recently re-introduced the world to Genevieve Jones’ remarkable story and project; Kiser published the illustrations in a volume called America’s Other Audubon.

Spring is in the air which means it’s time to start planning for spring migration. Read more.

Julia Zarankin is a writer, editor, and former professor of Russian literature and culture at the University of Missouri. She also blogs about birds, words and other essential matters at: birdsandwords.wordpress.com

6 Replies to “Celebrating women in birding”

Professor Bridget Stutchbury. Immaculate research in plain language inspires those who count birds and participate in other crucial citizen science projects. reference: “Bringing Back the Birds”
October 23, 2018, 6-7:00 pm at the Lillian H. Smith public library. This event organized by Ontario Nature, York University, Toronto Public Libraries. Dr. Stutchbury also made a presentation at a gala organized by the Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory. BPBO is based on a reserve at Cabot Head on the Georgian Bay shore.

I think about Audrey Wilson, who as my Grade 4 teacher had us birding, tagging butterflies and many other outdoor activities. Audrey and I are still friends, she worked with Dr. Urquhart to find out where the Monarch’s overwintered in North America. By time I was a student of hers in 1964, she had been banding Monarchs for years. She is an ‘all rounder’ in the outdoor experience, she is a top notch birder and knows their behaviours as well, Butterflies and Moths well she has been studying them for years. She also introduced to me to Leslie Abraham, a woman who is a Photographer and her blog on the outdoors is filled with her fabulous photo’s. There have been many women, like Hazel Bird who died probably ten years ago, she had a Blue Bird Line going through Northumberland County that was I do believe 25 miles long, I met her through Audrey as well. That I guess is the most wonderful thing is that the outdoor women I have met all bond together when it comes to birds and wildlife.

I’d like to add two more women who were instrumental in educating the public about birds and offering much helpful information. Their love and enthusiasm of birds was so contagious.

Kathy Nehei, who through hard work and dedication established ‘The Wild Bird Centre’ on Moodie Drive in Ottawa. Many orphaned and injured birds were rehabilitated and returned to the wild. Unfortunately Kathy passed away a few years ago, however the centre is still operating, is doing great work and has much public support.

Elizabeth LeGeyt wrote a weekly bird column in the Ottawa Citizen for many years and answered questions, gave advice, helped identify birds and what to feed them. She was always available to speak with the public.

Both are greatly missed and will always be remembered.

Thank-you for this opportunity, and thank-you for this wonderful blog,

I would like to recognize Margaret Carney who writes a weekly column in the Pickering-Ajax News Advertiser about her and others bird sightings. Sometimes she writes about sightings on her travels. Very interesting.

I would like to recognize Lorraine Brown who I met through the Owen Sound Field naturalists. She was skilled in many nature and conservation related areas, including birding. She died far too young a few years ago.